Telephone set



W. T. BOOTH.

TELEPHONE SET.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 24 I917.

1,330,234. I Patented Feb. 10,1920.

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WILLIAM T. Boone, or ssa onanen, new Jnnsnx, assrenon TO vvnstrnnnnLno-Tnro 7 COMPANY, rnoonrona'rnn, on nnwxo'nn, n. 35,, a conronerronon N YORK. v

TELEPHQNE To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WVILLIAM T. BOOTH, a citizen of the United States,residing at East Orange, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey,have invented Certain new and useful Irnprovements'in Telephone Sets,

of which thefollowing is a full, clear, con

cise, and exact description.

This invention relates to telephone sets for subscribers stations, moreparticularly to those of the intercommunicating type, and has specialreference to the ringing equipment provided in these sets.

In sets of the intercommunicating type,

there is usually provided a ringing key for each station on the line forwhich the set s intended. In new of thevarious capacities ofdifl erentlines, this necessitates a large number of different sets, differingfrom each other principally in the ringing equipment,

and in order to make it possible to stock the sets for differentcapacity lines and at the same time not carry a prohibitive stock of thevarious types, the use of unit construction has been resorted to. Bythis means comparatively small stock of the various parts may bekept onhand, and sets to meet the various requirements maybe supplied,

as desired.

It is the object of this invention to provide an improved ringing unitfor use in such a set, one that maybe easily assembled within the set toprovide the desired equip ment and'which, moreover. willbe economif calto manufacture and will present a'go'o'd appearance inthe assembled set.I

To accomplish this object there is pro vided a unit, designed to mountinterchangeably back of the cover plate or housing of the set. and to beconcealed bv a combined number plate and escutcheon through which theringing buttons project. This escutcheon closes the opening provided forunequipped positions. concealing the circuit controlling devices fromview and thereby presenting a good appearance to the front of the set.The extended portions are slotted and adapted to receive number platesdesignating the lines,

two four-button units, a portion of the show the method of mountingthese units;

Enron.

Specification of Letters Patent P610110, 1920. Application filedApri124,1917. Serial no." 164,234. i

' escutch'eon being removed to more clearly Fig. 2 is a perspective viewof a four-button ringing unit removed from the set and with a ringingbar from a second unit in position to show the method. of joining theassem bledunits to provide a common ringing bar: for all stations; andFig. 3 is ,a side viewshowing more clearly the method of assembling therlnglng springs.

In the front of the housing 4 there is pro:;

vided an opening 5, suitable to accommodate the maximum number ofbuttons for-which the set is designed. In the draWingsEthere is shown aset uitable: for acapacity upto eight lines. I The housing is providedwith tactsfand, bymeansof the insulating buttons 14, 14,:may beforcedlinto engagement with the ringing bar 15, which is common to theindividual ringingsprings. In or der to aid in properly; lining uptheringing' barsf'ofv adjacent un-its, and..to elimi Hate the necessityfor i more than one ground-connection. each ringing. bar. is providedwith a lug 16. offset from the plane of the bar, approximately thethickness of the stock,'and having a threaded hole 17. At V the oppositeend'of each bar is a lug. 18,

adapted to fitwithin the recess in an adjoining barforined bybending upthe oflset lug 16. {The lugs 18 are provided with per forations 19,thereby. allowing the parts when assembled. to be locked together bvmeans of the screw 20, which passes through the clearance hole and intothe offset lug.

On the front of the set there is provided a combined number plate andescutcheon 21,

which is adapted not only to conceal the ringingunits from view. therebypresenting a good appearance to the set. but also to provide means fordesignating the various lines corresponding to the different ringingbuttons which projectthrough perforations in'the central portion of thisest-utcheon. A

number of slightly different es utcheonsare provided to correspond tothe various capacitiesofthe set upon which they may be used. In eachcase the escutcheon portion differs only in the number of perforations 1provided for the ringing buttons, and is adapted to entirely conceal theopening in the housing. symmetrically located on either side of theescutcheon proper are the cardframe extensions, provided with theslots22 opposite the buttons which they are'to "designate. Theseextensions are embossed 'sli'ghtly'out of the plane of the csoutcheon'proper to provide space for inserting a; designating card and a strip ofcelluloi-dormica to protect the surface of this card. V

It'will benoted that the construction of the escutcheon plate makespossible the use of a" housing or ,coveriplateior 'a' dilferent capacityline without requiring any additional drilling. In the drawings thisequipment is shown as mounted on the vhousing of anon-flush type of set,but it will, of course, be understood that the construction is adaptedto applyequally well in connection with the cover plate ofa flush typeof set. V What is claimed is V V 1'. In a telephone set, the combinationwith a:housing having an opening suitable for mounting the circuitcontrolling devices,

of a plurality of ringing units each com.- prising aplurality ofcontaot' sprlngs with cooperatlng buttons, and a ringing bar'com mon tothe springs of each unit having at one "end a lug approximately fiu'shrwith the bar and fitithGOthBl end a lug oft-set from the plane of thebar to provide means for ,interlockingwith the flush lug of an adjacent'bar; means for connecting together ad- '|OlII1Ilg' ringing bars;means for interchangeabl. mountin said units on'said housin for mountingthe circuit controlling-devices,

of a plurality of ringing units each; comp-rmlng a plurality of contactsprlngs With" cooperating buttons, anda ringing bar come monto thesprings of each unit; means for alining and interchangeably connecting-150 gether adjoining bars, .aid' meansc'ompris ing a lugapproximatelyflush at one end of the bar and atth'e other end of the bar a lugoff-set from the plane of the bartoprovide means for interlockingwiththe fflu'sh lug of an adjacent'bar; and means for inter changeablymounting said units on said housing.

v 3. In a telephone-set, a plurality of ring ing units each comprising aplurality oi contact springs, buttons adapted to bearagainst the freeends of said springs whereby contact is made with a-ringingbar commonvtothe springs of each unit, connecting lugs'at either end ofeach of saidbars, and interchangeable means for alining and joining togetheradjacentbars to provide a ringing bar common tothe set.

4. In telephoneset, a ringing unit comprising an insulating block havinga plurality of contact springs mounted thereon, a mounting plateprovided with "angular extensions for fastening to said block, a ringingbar having at one end a lugapproxiinately flush with the bar, on theother end of said bar a lug offset from the plane of the bar to providea means for interlocking with the flush lug of an adjacent bar,fand aplurality of buttons projectingthrough perforations in saidmou'nting'plate' to engage the free ends of said springswherebycontactmay be made with said ringing bar. 7

5; In a telephone set, a plurality ofrin'ging units each comprising aplurality of contact springs, buttons adapted to bear against the freeends of'saidj springs.whereb'y' com tact is made with a ringing barcommon to the springs of each unit, and interchange ablemeans foralining and joining together adjacent bars to provide a ringing barcoinmon'to the set.

In; witness whereof I hereunto subscribe my name this QOthday of April,A l). 1917-.

' WILLIAM T. BOOTH.

